Afro Brazilian architecture once shaped the character of Lagos Island. Among the houses that contributed to this era was the structure associated with Joaquim Francisco Devodê Branco on Kakawa Street. Although the building no longer survives, its legacy endures through a 1948 photograph that captures its finely crafted wrought iron balcony. This image, preserved in the Edward Harland Duckworth archival collection, remains the clearest surviving record of the house and serves as a window into a significant architectural tradition that flourished in Lagos during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Afro Brazilian Returnees in Lagos
The Afro Brazilian community in Lagos consisted of formerly enslaved Africans and their descendants who returned from Brazil and other Atlantic regions during the nineteenth century. Their arrival introduced new skills into the city, including carpentry, masonry, stucco work and iron craftsmanship. Scholars confirm that these artisans shaped an architectural style recognisable by its stucco walls, arched openings, verandas and intricately forged metalwork.
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Although few original structures survive, buildings documented in photographs and surveys reveal the extent of Afro Brazilian influence on Lagos Island. These houses helped define a distinctive urban identity and reflected the social and cultural presence of the Aguda community.
The Kakawa Street Setting
Kakawa Street was an important thoroughfare on Lagos Island and housed a mixture of Afro Brazilian residences, merchant properties and mission buildings. The house later associated with the Branco family stood on this historic street, directly opposite the Water House of the da Rocha family, one of the better documented Afro Brazilian landmarks in Lagos. This positioning placed the Branco House within one of the most active corridors of commercial and cultural life in the city during the early twentieth century.
Although the physical building no longer exists, the confirmed location strengthens its importance within the architectural story of Lagos Island. It illustrates how Afro Brazilian families established themselves within key neighbourhoods and contributed to the city’s evolving character.
Joaquim Francisco Devodê Branco
Historical records identify Joaquim Francisco Devodê Branco as a member of the Afro Brazilian community and as a merchant active in Lagos during the first half of the twentieth century. While his wider biography and the full range of his property ownership remain undocumented, his name appears in archival metadata connected to the house in the 1948 photograph. This establishes a confirmed association between the family and the Kakawa Street residence without extending beyond the evidence available.
The Wrought Iron Railings
The most clearly documented feature of the Branco House is its wrought iron balcony. The photograph shows a railing consistent with the craftsmanship of Afro Brazilian blacksmiths whose work combined structural precision with artistic geometry. Ironwork was among the strongest and most enduring contributions of these returnee artisans.
The railing’s design reflects qualities found in other documented Afro Brazilian buildings in Lagos, including symmetry, repeated motifs and careful forging. This architectural detail confirms the house’s stylistic alignment with the broader Afro Brazilian tradition and demonstrates the skill level that defined the era.
Disappearance and Urban Change
Rapid development on Lagos Island from the late 1940s into the 1960s resulted in the demolition of many historic residences. As commercial expansion and government building projects increased, older structures were removed to create new spaces for offices, roads and modern facilities. The Branco House did not survive this transformation. Although the exact date of its demolition is not recorded, it belongs to a well documented wave of redevelopment that reshaped much of Lagos Island.
Its disappearance highlights the vulnerability of heritage buildings in rapidly growing cities and underscores the value of preserving photographic archives that capture these lost structures.
A Lasting Legacy
The Branco House remains important for several reasons. It represents the architectural identity shaped by Afro Brazilian returnees. It provides visual evidence of their craftsmanship through the preserved photograph. It stands as part of a broader history in which migration, cultural memory and specialised artistry influenced the development of Lagos.
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Even without its physical presence, the image of the balcony ensures that the house is not forgotten. It continues to contribute to the understanding of Lagos’s architectural past and the role Afro Brazilian families played in shaping it.
Author’s Note
The story of the Branco House shows how a single photograph can preserve the memory of a building that no longer stands. Through the image captured in 1948, readers can still appreciate the craftsmanship and cultural influence of Afro Brazilian returnees whose architectural traditions helped define the early modern identity of Lagos Island. Although much about the house remains unknown, its preserved details offer a meaningful insight into the history of Kakawa Street and the skilled artisans who left a lasting mark on the city.
References
Edward Harland Duckworth Collection, Herskovits Library of African Studies, Northwestern University.
Kristin Mann, Slavery and the Birth of an African City, Lagos, 1760 to 1900, Indiana University Press.
A. K. A. G. Otubu, Afro Brazilian Architecture in Lagos Island.
